Trust
by LoyalSilver
Summary: When an old case comes back to haunt Maddy, Jonathan is there to help her through it.
1. Chapter 1

"Jonathan Creek" he answered, picking up his mobile after just a couple of rings and frowning at the unknown London number.

"Jonathan?" he heard a voice ask, a voice he recognized but which sounded uncertain and very unlike the woman he knew it belonged to, the woman he hadn't heard from in over a week.

"Yes, it's me" he quickly responded. "What…where are you?"

"Jonathan" she repeated, almost sighing in what sounded to him like relief. Now he was starting to worry.

"Maddy" he said, the name feeling strange in his mouth. He'd never said it much for some reason, but needed to here, to ground her in reality. "It's me, I'm here. Where are you? What's wrong?"

"I…I don't know where I am. They took me. You…your number was the only one I remembered". Jonathan paled. Who took her? This sounded nothing like the Maddy he knew.

"Who took you? When?"

"Revenge. They said they've been waiting for me. I got out. I got away. They were going to kill me. They…"

"Maddy!" he repeated, "Are you still in danger?" His mind was whirling, trying to figure out who she was talking about, where she could be.

"I don't know. I don't think they'll know I've gone yet."

"Can you tell me anything about where you are? Can you describe it to me?"

"I just ran. I got their keys and I waited, and then I got out and I ran."

"That's good. That's really good" he said, trying to calm her, and quiet his own rising panic. "Now you need to tell me where you are. Where are you phoning from?"

"A shop. I'm in a shop"

"Ok good. Good. Is there someone there? Someone who works in the shop?"

"Yes. There's a man. He let me use the phone."

"Can you let me speak to him?" he said as clearly and kindly as possible, as if he was talking to a small child.

"Ok" she whispered, and he heard her hand the phone over to someone else.

"Hello?"


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as Jonathan had got the shop's location from the perplexed owner, who promised to take care of Maddy and not let her out of his sight, he ended the call and immediately called 999, grabbing his coat and keys, and he ran out the door of the windmill as fast as he could ever remember doing in his life.

It was a rare occasion when he wished he had a car, or at least that he lived somewhere with public transport which ran more often than once every two hours into town. This was one of those moments. Instead, he sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him to his neighbours' house, still a good half mile away, and a surprised Anna agreed to drive him wherever he needed to go. He told her the address and tried to quell the panic which was now a firm presence in his belly, making him feel like he was about to lose the contents of his stomach every time the car hit a bump in the road.

He tried calling back to the shop's number, but it was engaged. Rationally, he hoped that meant that the police were there and taking control of the situation, but since he still didn't know what that situation was, he couldn't bank on it.

His mind raced, thinking back to the last time he'd seen Maddy. It wasn't long since she'd got back from the States, and she'd been none too happy to learn of Carla and a mystery she herself hadn't got to be a part of. So he'd been giving her a little time, just catching up socially once or twice a week. He'd been so focused on the new TV special for Adam that he hadn't realised he hadn't heard from her in eight days. Eight days! He kicked himself for not checking in with her. How long had she been gone? What had happened to her? What if he could have stopped it? What if she'd been….well, that just didn't bear thinking about. She was ok, he told himself. She was conscious and she was able to run. He prayed she hadn't been harmed.

Jonathan launched himself out of the car before it had even come to a stop, shouting a thank you to Anna and slamming the door behind him.

Just as fast as he'd leapt out of the car, he pulled to a halt as he saw her sitting in the back of the ambulance which was parked outside the shop, lights glaring blue in the dark evening shadows.

Hunched over, a blanket covering her shoulders, Maddy looked pale and gaunt and somewhat bewildered by all the activity taking place around her. Worst of all, he saw bruising and marks across her face and forearms, the only visible skin, where she must have been hit, hard. He ached for her, the visual confirmation of her pain sticking into his chest like a knife.

Swallowing some of his panic and taking a deep breath, he started towards her, but was abruptly stopped by an eagle-eyed police officer, who wanted to know who he was.

"Jonathan", he heard; a weak voice coming from inside the ambulance, and both he and the police officer turned towards Maddy. Another swallow from Jonathan. A little more panic dissipated as he heard her speak his name. When she saw Maddy reach an arm out to Jonathan, the police officer let him pass without a further word, and he stepped up to meet her.

He took her outstretched hand and she immediately flinched, the pain of one of her many injuries hitting full force at his touch. He pulled his arm away and apologised, but right away she grasped again for his hand, needing someone, needing something solid to hold onto, to make this all a reality. She was safe, she told herself. Safe.

In that instant she felt the tears begin to fall, thick and fast, and he was there beside her, one hand still holding hers, and the other wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her close. It was only as she began to calm a few minutes later that she realised some of his own tears had mingled with hers, the shock setting in for them both.


	3. Chapter 3

It was five days before Maddy was allowed to leave the hospital, the bruising over her body looking even worse, but the pain much improved by a combination of time, and the glorious NHS' regimen of sweet, sweet prescription medication.

It had taken some hours for her to remember the details of what had happened – she'd been drugged to the hilt with a cocktail of pills, and it took a long time to lose them from her system.

From what she could recall, she'd been going into her flat one evening, a couple of nights after she'd last seen Jonathan, and she was grabbed from behind by two men. They injected her with something, and the next thing she knew she'd woken up in a room that had been fashioned into a cell, and she was tied down to the floor with metal fastenings. They'd told her exactly what they planned to do to her, torturous and painful, making her suffer before they would eventually slit her throat.

She quickly learned this was revenge for her having had a hand in the convictions of a number of men in this gang. It was the old case of Judge Sweetland, who had been murdered by the Triads, aided by a police officer and potential paramour of Jonathan's at the time. They had pinned all responsibility on Maddy for being found out and sentenced, and had bid their time until suspicion would no longer centre on them should anything happen to her. So she was kidnapped then beaten, starved and threatened with death for six whole days. She had known that one day there would be repercussions for her crusading, but had never expected that case to be the one which did it, or the impact to be quite so severe.

Thanks to some tricks she'd learned from Jonathan over the years, that last afternoon she was able to use some sleight of hand to pocket a bunch of keys from one of the men. Though the doctors and police were incredulous that she'd had the strength of mind or the dexterity to do this given her situation, they said it had most likely saved her life.

Jonathan, for his part, felt extremely guilty. After all, it was he, not she, who'd solved the puzzle involving the Triads, figured out the pieces and put them back together again, in his own indomitable way. But the force of Maddy's personality had meant she was the one who was recognized, remembered and targeted, and he had slipped into the shadows. He wished he could go back, to be the one they noticed, and take her place over the past week. He wished he had at least tried to call her, to discover she was missing. That was the worst feeling of all.

It was unusual, this relationship of theirs. They both knew it. Each so independent. Each so self-sufficient. No immediate family ties. No close friends, except each other of course. And yet, that was what made it so difficult; to admit they needed one another, when neither of them had ever done that in their entire lives. For Maddy, it was fairly obvious why she had become the way she was – a father she never knew, a mother on the edge who committed suicide when Maddy was just 17, a struggle to get through a life determined to crush her, in spite of her brain and quick wit. With Jonathan it was more nuanced. Loving parents, still together. Money, education, intelligence; all there in abundance. But he had never quite fitted in to what society wanted of him, preferring to hide away and make his own path. Much as they said they were proud of him now, he could never recover from the personal feeling of failure at not becoming a doctor like his mum and dad, which they had so often discussed when he was an impressionable child. So neither Jonathan nor Maddy realised that insatiable need, instead preferring to believe they were ok on their own. Neither wanted to have to need someone else; it was better that way.

Jonathan had stayed by her side as much as possible once they'd reached the hospital, only disappearing briefly to gather some clothes from both their houses after a day or so, and waiting anxiously when she was sent off for tests and scans to garner the extent of her injuries. To his credit, Adam was incredibly understanding of the whole situation and didn't demand anything of Jonathan. Even he probably realised what would happen if he tried.

There were a few broken ribs but miraculously nothing deeper, once the drugs Maddy had been forced to take had worn off. Her colour slowly improved and that sharp wit returned; for once he was pleased to bear the brunt of some of her barbed comments in front of others.

He marvelled at how quickly she was able to bury it, to be cheerful to the nurses and doctors and the long line of police and officials who wanted to question her again and again. But he knew her too well now and he could see the superficiality of it, the ruthless efficiency of her words and her smile. He also noticed the tears, springing out of nowhere on occasion, swept away as briskly as possible. And he heard the shouts and moans while she slept, each time reaching forward from his armchair and taking hold of her hand, stroking her skin with his thumb until she settled back into sleep.

She put on less of a performance when it was just the two of them, and for that he was grateful. She was quiet and pensive, and often she simply held onto his hand, a seeming anchor to reality for her.

Jonathan had arranged with the doctors that Maddy would stay at his, and his GP would call in regularly to check on her. She attempted to protest at first, but they both knew her heart wasn't in it. She couldn't possibly admit that she was scared witless at the thought of being on her own, even if it was completely natural after what she'd been through.


	4. Chapter 4

They got a taxi out to the windmill, stopping off to pick up a curry on the way, much to Maddy's delight. If there was one thing the NHS needed improving, in her opinion it was the food.

She made light conversation through dinner, trying and wanting to avoid any discussion of her ordeal. Jonathan allowed her to lead their discussion, knowing that she would talk about it when she was ready.

Fully satisfied, the two headed up from the kitchen to the second floor living room. Maddy noticed a camp bed set up on the far side, grateful to know she would have the luxury of the bed downstairs while she stayed there.

They sank down onto the couch together, Maddy surrounded by cushions to help her still aching bones and joints, and Jonathan reached for the remote, flicking on the TV. They amicably sat through a couple of episodes of old sitcoms on BBC2, until Jonathan noticed that Maddy had nodded off, her body still needing plenty of sleep to heal itself. He softly shook her awake and told her to go to bed, so she padded off downstairs, yawning as she went.

It was only a couple of hours later when Jonathan awoke on the couch, having dozed off himself, that he found her once again beside him, in her pyjamas this time, her head on his shoulder, snoring lightly. He woke her again and got her to her feet, intent on getting her back into her bed.

"Come on" he said, taking her hand and leading her down the stairs, but she stopped abruptly.

She shook her head, looking ashamed.

"I can't, Jonathan" she whispered.

He understood immediately. He squeezed her hand and said, "It's okay, I'll stay with you until you fall asleep. Okay?" A small nod in return.

They walked down to the bedroom and Jonathan brushed his teeth in the small bathroom while Maddy got herself back into bed. Somewhat self-consciously, Jonathan came and lay down next to her, on top of the duvet, and reached out a hand to hers. Despite planning to stay awake to make sure she was ok, sleep overcame Jonathan quickly and all he thought he heard was a quiet, sincere "thank you" as he was half way to slumber.

Waking in the morning, Jonathan was somewhat confused by the unusual occurrence of finding a woman in his bed, and perplexed to find that not only had he made his way under the covers at some point in the night, he was also pressed against her back with an arm wrapped over her, their fingers entwined. Despite quickly remembering why they were both there, he scrambled up and off to the kitchen, failing to notice that Maddy was also awake, a hint of a sleepy smile across her face. It was the first night she'd had no nightmares since her escape.

And so it was that they began to sleep in the same bed each night, making their strange relationship even stranger.


	5. Chapter 5

She seemed to be progressing well; her broken ribs healing and her laughter returning. She was seeing a psychologist twice a week, which also helped get her outside and back into the real world. Her perpetrators had been detained, which made everything that little bit easier too. Jonathan had gone back to work for a couple of days that week, and she was able to stay in the windmill on her own while he was gone, feeling relatively secure. In the evenings, one of them would cook dinner and then they'd move upstairs to the living room, sometimes with an open bottle of wine, and while the evening away talking or reading, before heading to bed together.

One evening, she seemed to be steeling herself for something, and she started talking as he was over by the sink, starting on the dishes.

"Jonathan?"

"Mmm?"

"I've been staying here for three weeks now."

"Mmmm-hmmm"

"I don't want to outstay my welcome. I know you like your peace and quiet, and god knows you haven't had much of that recently."

He turned towards her, looking inquiringly into her eyes, "What are you saying?"

"I, well, I was thinking that maybe I should go back to the flat. Give you some space?" She phrased it as a question, turning her gaze downwards, which confused him further. Did she want to leave? Or did she feel obligated? Had he made her feel unwelcome?

"You don't need to" he said weakly. "It's…you're still not a hundred per cent."

"The psychologist, today, she…well, we talked about it. Honestly, it scares me to death, the thought of going back there, but I suppose she's right. I have to do it sometime."

"Only if you're ready. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to".

She just nodded, going back into her shell in a way he hadn't seen for at least a fortnight, obviously going through an internal struggle to which he could only make up his own narrative, blaming himself for making her feel unwanted or in the way.

He hoped that would be the end of it for a while, but a couple of nights later she broached it again.

"I was thinking that maybe I should go back to the flat this weekend."

He tensed up, turning on her abruptly. "What's wrong with staying here?" he asked aggressively.

She shrank backwards, surprised and fearful of this unexpected response from him. As soon as he saw her fear he became aware of his own behaviour, his posture as she must be seeing it. "Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry" he said, eyes wide, taking a step away from her in conciliation. He realised his next words were very important and took a deep breath in before opening his mouth.

"I want…I like having you here" he stammered. "I don't want you to feel like you have to go", he said, feeling his cheeks reddening as she looked steadily at him for a few moments.

She smiled and he released the breath he'd unconsciously been holding. "Thank you" she replied, "That means a lot, Jonathan." She closed the gap between them and took hold of his hand. "I know I'm welcome here, and I can't tell you how grateful I am that you've been here for me." A nod from him, looking anywhere but into her eyes, like a frightened wild animal. "But to get back to being me, to feeling more like me…before…" she stifled a sob as her breath caught in her throat, "I have to go back there. To face it." She looked into his eyes, waiting to speak again until he finally made eye contact with her.

"Would you come with me?" she whispered.

"Of course I will" he quickly responded, knowing how hard it was for her to ask for help, and willing to do anything to make her feel better.

"Thank you" she said again, pulling him into a quick hug before releasing him and heading upstairs, leaving him somehow embarrassed, and wondering what the hell was going on with their unique relationship.


	6. Chapter 6

In the end, it was easier than either of them had been anticipating. They took the train into town on the Saturday, and went straight there. Jonathan hung back and let Maddy go up the stairs herself, and followed only when she had opened the front door and taken a step inside.

They went out that evening to a local bistro for a meal and then wandered back, happy with a full belly and a wine flush, having shared a bottle of Pinot Noir between them.

It was, however, somewhat bizarre, to him at least, going back to that reality where the boundaries between them had been wider and seemed to date back for eons. Before, she'd been the one in charge, this force of nature. Now she was quieter, more subdued, although there were more and more flashes of the old Maddy re-appearing as time went on. He was more relieved about that than he cared to admit. The bond they'd forged now was stronger and felt more resilient, to both of them. Neither wanted to lose it but they were both uncertain how to retain it if normality returned around about them.

They arrived back to the flat and decided to have a cup of tea before bed, winding down. Then, unsure what else to do, Jonathan headed for his usual spot on the couch, pulling out the duvet and pillows hidden behind it. Maddy hesitated a moment as she saw him do this but didn't know how to articulate the slight sense of fear at the thought of having to sleep in a bed without him or, for that matter, the disappointment which suddenly struck her. Would their newfound closeness be lost now that she was trying to regain some independence?

She went to bed herself and managed to drift off, probably thanks to the wine making her drowsy, but she woke with a start a few hours later, her breath heavy and sweat on her brow, having had a nightmare for the first time in two weeks. Then she realised he was there, half sitting up on the bed beside her, holding her close to his chest and murmuring soothing words into her hair. He'd been unable to sleep at all, trying unsuccessfully to dampen the mix of emotions running through him, and when he heard a scream coming from the bedroom, he'd rushed in to help her. As soon as he realised she was awake, he clammed up and let go of her, awkward and unsure. "Sorry" he began, "I heard you having a nightmare…"

"Don't be sorry, you big wombat" she said affectionately, as she sat alongside him, their backs against the headboard. "What were you going to do? Leave me to scream the building down and wake all the neighbours?" There was that humour offensive again, trying to deflect her emotions as far away as possible.

"Don't do that" he sighed. "You're allowed to be scared".

She took a long look at him in the dark shadows and then, gathering her nerve, she quietly said, "I'm not so scared when you're here." Stilling her beating heart, she lent towards him and softly planted a kiss on his lips, then, just as fast, she turned over, snuggled back under the duvet, and squeezed her eyes tight, listening for any reaction.

Typical of Jonathan, there was nothing. Complete silence as he froze, not knowing what to do next, working through a dozen possibilities in that unfathomable brain of his. He knew what he wanted to do, that was undeniable to him now. It wasn't that they hadn't kissed before, and there was even the one time they'd got their act together and made love, but this was different. The low-level panic from the realisation that he didn't want to be apart from her had hit him full force as he'd lain awake on the couch. He was sure now, for the first time ever, that he wanted more, needed more. He knew that Maddy didn't necessarily intend for anything to happen in this moment, so he simply buried himself under the covers and closed his eyes, feeling the heat of her body next to his.

The fact that he hadn't bolted from the bed in haste was a huge relief for Maddy, and she smiled to herself. She inched backwards, spooning her body into the curve of his, and let out a contented sigh as he adjusted himself, draping an arm across her body. Folding his hand into her own, she realised that, despite the on-going trials and tribulations of her relationship with Jonathan, things had irrevocably changed between them, and she trusted someone else as much as herself for the first time ever in her life. She closed her eyes, happy to be there, and felt him squeeze her hand in the darkness.

FIN


End file.
